Signature

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 NIV

In the roles I’ve had over my career working, I have signed a lot of documents: contracts, letters, travel vouchers, etc. and so on. My signature tends to be similar. I can’t say it’s always the same, but it is always very close. Depending upon the time of day, how many meetings I’ve been in, if I’ve had lunch, my focus or my mood at the moment, my signature could differ a little bit. I can see all those little nuances. A signature expert can see those nuances (and others) and tell you even more about them.

The same could be said about the way we sign our checks, sign a credit card receipt, sign a card or letter.

Again, though not always the same, it tends to be very similar.

And that’s what our actions say about who we are. Though we may say that we hate being late, if we are consistently late, then at least to the rest of the world, we are consistently late. That becomes our signature.

The same can be said about how we treat people around us. People we work with. People we go to school with. People we live with. To them, we are how we treat them. We are how we react and respond to them. If we respond in love, with a smile, with joy ~ that becomes our signature. If we respond in coldness and bitterness, that too becomes our signature.

Our signature, in a sense, represents who we are. Signature experts can see the slight difference between a real signature and a counterfeit, a fake, a fraud. Our actions and responses represent who we are and who we are in Christ. The world around us is watching and can see a counterfeit or a fraud.

Our signature is not who we say we are. Our signature is who our actions and responses say we are.

As I grew up, my signature changed. It’s not the same as it was when I was a child. My actions and responses, should not be the same as when I was a non-believer or even when I was a new believer. My actions and responses should have matured with my faith.

What is your signature? What does it say about who you are and who you are in Christ?

Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem


Photo by Dusty Doddridge